Alicorn Switcheroo
by Fuzzyfurvert
Summary: What would you do if you woke up with god-like powers? What if the Goddess you love is without her own magic? What if Pinkie Pie's alicorn fetish was never important, until now? What if you're Twilight Sparkle and nothing makes sense anymore? The Answer: Equestria is sooooo boned.
1. Chapter 1

**Alicorn Switcheroo**

Early morning Sunlight warmed the shingles of Sugar Cube Corner and every building, tree and cobblestone in Ponyville. A thin curl of smoke wafted from the bakery's chimney into the pale blue sky carrying the scent of fresh baked goods. It was early enough that most of the ponies were still blinking sleep out of their eyes and yawning while even the birds chirped tiredly. It was early enough that the mail had not yet arrived by Pegasus carrier. Rainbow Dash wasn't scheduled to clear the sky of the small clouds that were soaking up the moisture of the pre-dawn mists for a half dozen more hours. Carousel Boutique wouldn't be open for business for three more hours. Fluttershy's Animal Care wouldn't be accepting patients for almost another forty five minutes. The Ponyville Library wouldn't be open until the Sun was approaching its noontime high. The only ponies that were out and about, moving around with any amount of urgency this early hour were the Apple family out on Sweet Apple Acres.

Most of Ponyville handled their own coffee and breakfast, but that never stopped the breakfast rush at Sugar Cube Corner from being the busiest time of day. To be ready, the Cakes and their live-in employee had to be up pretty early in the morning. Mr. Cake was already in the kitchen kneading a huge batch of dough that would soon be used for a variety of pastries and pies, bread, doughnuts and of course, cakes. He worked the rolling pin back and forth with his forehooves, spreading the dough across the table and making sure it was even and free of air pockets. He paused to wipe his brow and leaned his head over to take a sip of the steaming coffee in his mug.

Carrot glanced up, but kept his lips in the dark roast as Pinkie Pie bounced past the order window in a giggling, jiggling pink blur. She was in the front lobby, taking down chairs and arranging the tables and displays. Afterwards, she was supposed to come help him with the final baking and then help his wife Cuppy with the cake decorations. He could hear her humming to herself as she worked swiftly. He wished he could remember ever having that kind of energy when he was younger. Carrot took a swallow of his coffee, and lifted his head so he could watch Pinkie. She always managed to remind him of Cuppy from before they got married, and he found his eyes drifting toward her ample flank and adorable cutie mark. Pinkie wasn't paying him any attention at the moment; engrossed in her duties of getting the shop ready for the general public. She bent down to place a folding display sign for their newest menu items and turned to adjust it, giving him an unobstructed view of her sweetest, pinkest spot.

Pinkie giggled to herself as she adjusted the display. It was the last one she had to set out, and then she could get to the fun stuff back in the kitchen. Mrs. Cake normally handled the lobby set-up, but she was upstairs this morning, feeding and taking care of little Pound and Pumpkin Cake. The lobby looked super ready, so Pinkie gave the sign a slight tweak, moving it fractionally to the left with a jerk of her head.

Suddenly there was a loud crash from the kitchens and Pinkie heard Mr. Cake yelp in surprise, or maybe pain, she couldn't be sure. She left the sign where it was and bounded over the counter and then through the door to the kitchen.

" —" Pinkie gasped, starring open mouthed at her employer. Mr. Cake was sprawled on his back on the kitchen floor blinking up at her, with twin trails of blood coming from his nose.

"Mr. Cake? What happened? Why are you bleeding? Did you slip on the dough roller again? Why do you look flushed?" Pinkie held out a hoof and helped the stallion back to his hooves.

"I'm fine Pinkie," Carrot reached up and wiped the blood from his nose, his eyes shifting about, "I uh… y-yeah, I slipped! Hehehe! Certainly wasn't looking at yo— wasn't paying attention! Yep! That's me, Mr. Not-Paying-Attention-to-What-I-Should-and-Definite ly-Not-Staring-at-Your-But—! "

Pinkie never found out who Mr. Cake purported to be as an explosion rumbled in the middle distance.

"Is it Explosion Day and no pony told me, _again_? This is going to call for a **PARTEEE**!" Pinkie Pie bounced like a ball, spinning as she did so, flashing Mr. Cake over and over again, threatening to give him another nose bleed.

"Pinkie, calm down!" Carrot reached out with a hoof and caught Pinkie on the shoulder. " We've already had Explosion Day this year! Something else must have caused that!"

Pinkie sighed disappointedly. "Well, if it isn't Explosion Day, then it must mean Twilight is awake! I bet'cha something spooked her and she went **WHAMMOBOOMZAPPOW** with her super unicorn powers!" Pinkie's grin returned, "I wonder what she blew up?"

"I don't know, Pinkie. But I think you might want to go check up on your friend. If Twilight Sparkle and explosions of mysterious origin are how we start the day, then I think Ponyville might be in a tight spot." Carrot picked up his hat from where it had settled after his fall and plopped it back on his head. "Take a croissant with you. She likes those. Maybe you can keep her from destroying us all—at least until about ten? If we're all gonna die, I'd rather do it as a somewhat more wealthy pony, and apocalypse or not, every pony is going to want breakfast."

"_Jawohl mein Kommandant_!" Pinkie gave Mr. Cake a stiff legged salute and then turned and bounded away toward the back exit, snagging a croissant as she passed the cooling racks.

After he heard the back door slam shut, Carrot returned to the dough kneading, as he put his back into making up lost time and shook his head. "I need blinders with Pinkie around like that, sheesh!"

"Ponies, ponies, ponies, ponies, ponies, ponies, ponies—**SWAG**!" Pinkie sang to herself as she trotted along through the early morning toward Ponyville's lone library. A few other ponies had wandered out of their homes, blinking sleepy, worried eyes that widened with each '_boom!_' that echoed. She really wanted to check on her friend, but sleepy, worried ponies needed reassuring that everything was well in-hoof.

"It's just Twilight Sparkle! Don't worry!" For some odd reason this made several of the ponies go straight back to sleep, right there on their welcome mats with their legs twitching after letting out a little squeak.

When she reached the library, it hopped a little and crashed a bit off center back down into its moorings with a resounding '_thoom!_' that made the grass vibrate. Inside, through the window, she could see a purple-ish blur running around making a high pitched, keening wail.

Pinkie Pie paused at the door and knocked firmly before just shoving it open and sauntering in, tail swaying back and forth. "Hey Twilight! I brought ya' breakfast!"

The purple blur swerved off course, narrowly avoiding a collision with the Earth pony, choosing instead, to end its pell-mell journey face to face with the very solid librarian's desk. The blur and the desk had a lively discussion where the blur asked the desk to politely not occupy that space, but having been there first, the desk demurred. In a great show of compromise, the desk tuned onto its side, spilling its contents all over the now stilled blur, whose keening wail faltered into a pained gurgle. Pinkie giggled at the sight.

"Sup Twi? You sure are up running and screaming early today! Did ya get spooked by a scary dream? Where you frightened by a lone dog howling in the night and thought it was a portent of dark prophecy? Again?"

Twilight didn't respond immediately, laying still on the floor and groaning. Pinkie blinked at her, goofy smile frozen on her face. Twilight groaned louder. Pinkie blinked back at her. Twilight groaned again and added a throat clearing noise to the end. Pinkie blinked at her twice.

"Wait, are we speaking in code?" Pinkie frowned, suddenly confused and scratched her head.

"No," Twilight's voice rose muffled from under the compromised desk, "I was attempting—and failing—at getting you to just leave. I'm out of sorts this morning Pinkie."

"Out of sorts? I can help you find some more! What do 'sorts' look like?" Pinkie looked around the disheveled library. "I'll start looking in the 's' section!"

Pinkie Pie was just about to bound into the mess of books when Twilight burst from under the desk. "No! Just no, Pinkie. I hate to be short with you, but I am dealing with something this morning that is a little disturbing!" Twilight's purple aura caught the desk as it returned from the ceiling and set it up-right again while simultaneously collecting and reorganizing all the bric-brak that had been spilled off of it a moment ago.

Pinkie grinned at the librarian and merely started to snicker. "Uh, don't look now Twi, but you've got some **serious** early morning wingboner going on there!" The earth pony gasped suddenly, her eyes widening. "Or you're _really_ happy to see me!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Alicorn Switcheroo 2**

Twilight glared at Pinkie Pie's dumb, grinning face. "It's a perfectly normal physiological reaction in those ponies with wings! Which I am now, apparently. That's the disturbing thing I mentioned needing to deal with!"

Pinkie giggled again and snorted. She leaned to the side, looking Twilight's new parts up and down.

"Wow! Those are soooo big! Dash is gonna be super jealous when she sees this!" Pinkie gasped and sprang into an upright position, standing on her hindhooves with one foreleg pointed at the ceiling. "I invoke the sacred rite of **Dibs**! Dash isn't going to steal this alicorn from me—not that she ever has before—I mean there are only three of them, er, well four now—and this one is mine!"

"Excuse me?!" Twilight arched an eyebrow, still glaring at Pinkie Pie's dumb, intense looking face. "I am no pony's alicorn! I'm not an alicorn! This is just some spell I mis-casted in my sleep! You've see me do the wings spell before on Rarity. And my hair is all wispy see-through energy instead of hair…" Twilight glanced up at the magenta field of mana where it hung over her eyes. "… because reasons."

Twilight shook her head, trying to focus. Her new energy based hairdo cared not one wit and did its own coruscating, sparkly thing and fluttered in a non-Euclidean breeze. "Pinkie, please! Could you just go? This is all just a little much to deal with right now without you being here too. I just woke up after transmuting myself in my sleep and I haven't even had-" she paused, mouth hanging slightly open as her mind lost its footing between her tirade and the sight before her.

Pinkie Pie stood little more than a foreleg's reach away. Her stupid grin was now more of a lascivious smirk and her eyebrows wiggled in a way that could write a research paper if a pony were so inclined to study the underlying musculature of Pinkie's face. None of that mattered to Twilight however. What mattered was the crispy, golden, flakey, butter glazed, so-fresh-it-was-still-steaming, oversized crescent shaped pastry she held in an outstretched hoof.

"Toldja I brought you breakfast."

"Y-yes, well... yes." Twilight swallowed loudly as her stomach made a gurgling noise. "Um, thanks? Where were you even holding that?"

Pinkie Pie giggled and shook her head which caused her mane to wobbly drunkenly back and forth, spewing loose confetti and colorful party hats, a couple of pigeons and a half dozen invitations to a birthday party dated more than a century from now. "Sorry Twi! Baker's trade secret! You know how it is."

"No, I don't?" Twilight raised an eyebrow at the new mess merging with the books on the floor under them. She decided to shelve that line of questions for later and snagged the croissant from Pinkie's grasp. Her nostrils flared as the scent hit her, making her mouth water and stomach start singing in a very poor baritone.

"Well... thank you anyway, Pinkie. But I need to reverse this transformation spell-or whatever is causing this-and you'll just be in the wa-!"

Pinkie had started to whistle happily, her bright blue eyes cast innocently off to the side as she held up a tall mug in her forehooves.

"Is that...?"

"A double espresso latte with chai and chocolate mint, mixed with almost frozen whole milk and topped with heavy whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon? Your favorite?" Pinkie puckered her lips in a thoughtful expression. "Maaaaaaaaybe..."

Twilight frowned as her stomach showed real talent and worked its way to a full on barber shop quartet of bass and baritone gurgles of need. "Alright! Fine, you can stay. Just gimme that!"

Twilight's purple aura enveloped the mug and pulled it over to her as she inhaled, her eyes fluttering closed. The aroma filled her nose and went on a rampage in her brain chasing away the early morning fog that choked her neurons and synapsis. It left a still openness in its wake; similar to the way the pony Vikings of old would visit a quaint Saxon village and leave behind a still, albeit smoke filled, openness. Twilight amused herself in silence, imaging tiny microscopic Viking ponies in ragtag armor ravaging through her mind and setting the brain fog afire with equally tiny torches.

She kept her eyes closed and lifted the mug to her lips. The latte was hot. Almost hot enough to be scalding. It was perfection in a cup and as it hit her tongue, Twilight imagined the tiny Vikings in her brain boarding equivalently massive long ships made of red blood cells and setting sail for her tummy where they would quell the beast that called out from within. Her thoughts mulled over her morning so far and her visitor. She could hear Pinkie Pie next to her now, no doubt checking out her new equipment. She hadn't heard Pinkie move through the intervening space between being in front of her and being beside her. It was yet another example of 'Pinkie being Pinkie' and like her freaky ability to carry a seemingly infinite amount and variety of things in her mane, it would bare thought and investigation later. Right now, there was another nagging issue to question.

"Pinkie, what did you mean earlier about calling Dibs?" Twilight opened her eyes just a crack and glanced at her friend before taking another sip of perfection. "You sounded… I don't know, serious? Alicorns are in short supply of course, but who would ever steal one from you? And why?"

Pinkie Pie didn't answer immediately. She was gazing up at Twilight's raised and extended wings(which Twilight's imaginary tiny Vikings were working on getting them to relax), her tongue hanging out and eyes wide with interest. "Um, oh, yeah. Well, I just want an alicorn sooooo bad! And I can't call Dibs on the Princesses! They're old—not _old_ old, but they've been around a while—and somepony has called Dibs on them years ago! I can't call Dibs on Cadence 'cuz she got married to your brother and that kinda trumps Dibs, duh! I mean, Shinning seems like a reasonable stallion, he'd probably be down to share, but it's just not the same as having one of my own!"

Twilight bunched her eyebrows together and glared at Pinkie even as she blew across the top of her latte to cool it. "Again: I'm not _your_ alicorn! I don't care if you did call Dibs. Additionally, I do believe I told you last summer that that… thing, we did together was a one-time event! It was in one of the special sleep-over guides and I just wanted to try it out!"

"You said you liked it…"

"Don't start with me, Pinkie." Twilight frowned and then took a violent bite out of the flakey croissant that levitated temptingly near her face. "One-time—wait a sec! The Princess! Of course! I should go see Princess Celestia! She'll know how to fix this and return me to normal." She took another bite and mumbled on, mouth half full. "The Sun is up, so the Princess must be too… if I hurry I can get a ticket for the 7:12 to Canterlot. That'll put me in the Throne Room before court starts!"

Twilight pranced in place at the thought of seeing her mentor and took another sip of perfection. "Mmmm… this stuff is perfect. Thanks Pinkie! Though, I suppose I am a bit sorry you have to miss out on another alicorn."

Pinkie Pie looked literally deflated with her tail and mane hanging limp for a moment before perking back up. She was very worried. She couldn't just let Twilight run off, not yet.

"But you can't leave Ponyville now, Twilight!" Pinkie grabbed Twilight's head and stared into the former unicorn's eyes. "If you leave now and she finds out I let you, Rarity would kill me! She'll want to take your new measurements and get started on a new dress for you—you know how she is—and if that opportunity slips out of her hoof, she'll gut me, stuff me, mount me and make me into one of the ponequins in her boutique that she uses to make all her dresses and silly hats! Don't get me wrong, it would cool to stay hot and dress in style forever—who wouldn't want that?" Pinkie pulled Twilight closer, her voice getting louder with each word until she was shouting full force. "But then I couldn't eat cake! And Pinkie has got to have cake even more than Pinkie has got to get some sweet, sweet alicorn on Pinkie Pie action!"

Twilight groaned as she wriggled in Pinkie's surprisingly strong grip. She worked herself around until she could read the clock on the library wall where it hung lopsidedly and threatened to end its tenure as her sole time keeping device and commit seppuku upon the floor. She glanced back at the heavily breathing earth pony and tried to smile accommodatingly as she could with Pinkie's hooves pressing her cheeks. "Whel, Ah shupose if whe hurrah, Arritee cahn tage shom mashurmens?"

"Ha!" Pinkie let go of Twilight's face and dropped to all fours, grinning fiercely. "Take that universe! You keep trying to disembowel me but it ain't gonna work!"

"Uh… Pinkie?"

The pink pony spun in a circle and bounded toward the door. "C'mon Twi! We've got a fashionista to wake up!"

As Pinkie and Twilight made their way toward Carousel Boutique, the door to the library's upper personal chambers opened slowly. Spike, one eye twitching nervously and his crest scales in disarray, carefully peeked out and scanned the mess left by his boss.

"On thank Celestia they're gone!" Spike ran a claw over his crest, straightening it out. "I can't believe Twilight evolved like that in the middle of the night. All that moaning and thrashing about." He took a deep breath, calming his tick a little. "It was worse than her slumber party last summer! I thought she had Pinkie and Rainbow Dash in there with her to make that racket!"

Spike let the door swing open fully and stepped out onto the landing dragging his blankie along behind him. As he surveyed the damage from Twilight's earlier performance as a screaming pinball he noticed Owlowiscious cowering in a high alcove. "Hey, want breakfast before we start cleaning this?"

"Who."

"Yeah, I agree. She _really_ needs to get some action soon."

"Who?"

"Ok, but I'm putting gems in my waffle. You don't like it; pick them out!"

As it turned out, Rarity was already awake by the time Twilight and Pinkie arrived. She could be heard inside singing to herself, or perhaps to her cat.

_"I'm too sexy for my hat! Too sexy for my big silly hat, what'cha think about that?!"_

"Ooh! I love that jam!" Pinkie giggled as she banged on the door to Rarity's shop in time with the beat.

_"I'm a model! You know what I mean, and I do my_—**so sorry darling, but we're still closed!** **Come back in about two and half hours!**" Rarity's voice carried from her personal area in the back of the boutique where her kitchen was located.

"C'mon Pinkie, let's head around to the back. She must be making breakfast." Twilight glanced around nervously, holding her finally un-stiffened wings tight against her body. "Plus it's less visible. I really don't want any more ponies to faint at the sight of me. Or… start worshiping… and oh Celestia, the chanting! Why did they start chanting?!"

Pinkie smiled gently at Twilight and reached over to pat her on the shoulder. "Just drink your latte and forget those sillybillies! You'd think they've never seen an alicorn before!" Pinkie Pie snorted. "It's not like the Princesses don't visit Ponyville, like super often."

"You didn't have to yell at them about calling Dibs already."

"Twilight, Twilight, Twilight," Pinkie's pat turned into a one armed hug as she pulled Twilight close and bopped her on the nose with her other hoof. "You know I can't let them steal you away."

Twilight put back on her 'un-amused' face. "That's it. We are getting this done now." Twilight scooped Pinkie up in her magic field and levitated the pink pervert along with her latte. "Back door. Now."

Twilight Sparkle grumbled under her breath and marched with a purpose around the Carousel Boutique as she took a long pull from what remained of her perfect fog clearing latte. As she reached the rear entrance to the boutique she dropped Pinkie from her hold and raised a hoof, knocking firmly. "Rarity, it's me and Pinkie Pie. Please open up. Pinkie thinks you want to take new measurements of me because of my wings. Tell her she is wrong so I can get to Canterlot and see the Princess before it gets too late!"

The back door wrenched open fast enough to make the hinges smoke. Before she could blink, Twilight found herself with a face full of her good friend Rarity. She was obviously fresh from bed. Rarity's mane was a level of fabulous that would make noble ponies jealous but for her was somewhere around 'manageable bed-head.' She was wearing her pink bed gown and slippers with the gown tied loosely closed at her waist. The look in her all too close eyes spoke of the darkest, murderous-ous, intense intent that a mortal pony could muster.

"This. Had. Better. Be. Good." Rarity growled out each word like a curse that took her look's promise of violence and multiplied it by a factor of seven. As she glared at them, Rarity leaned out from her doorway and her robe fell open ever so slightly. Twilight's wings shot up, even stiffer than they had been earlier.

Twilight stammered for something to say. She knew Rarity took great umbrage on anything that interrupted her morning routine. Even as she fumbled for speech, her mind heaved a silent sigh and took up the imaginary drums of war once more and called forth the tiny blood-borne pony Vikings of old to set sail and cut down the great wood that held her wings stiff. "Umm… er, I… uh… it's a perfectly natural physiological reaction to being startled?"

Rarity gasped and pulled back, her anger replaced with surprise and more than a little awe. "Darling! You weren't joking… of course I'll need to take new measurements!"

"I called Dibs already! Don't get any sneaky ideas, Rarity!" Pinkie reared up on her hind legs, snorting expressively.

Rarity glanced at the pink mare and nodded slowly. "Oh heavens no, wouldn't think of it, Pinkie. Come in, both of you! Wouldn't want you to come all this way and not feel welcomed—just let me get my measuring tapes!" She moved away from the door, letting in her two friends. Rarity turned and walked with a hop in her clop as she goes into the front area of the shop, her mood in complete defiance of her earlier state.

Twilight's eyes narrowed as she stepped inside Rarity's kitchen. The table was set for two. There were toast, eggs, berries and milk for two ponies, using Rarity's best china dishware too. She could even see the edging of the straps for a saddle peeking out from under Rarity's robe while the unicorn was turned away. "We aren't… interrupting anything are we?"

"Nothing that can't wait a moment for fashion!" Rarity turned back to the kitchen, her horn glowing as she levitated several tapes and measuring strings as well as a quill and a pad of paper. "Now, lift your tail and stand at attention. While I'm at it, why don't you fill me in on how you became a Princess, Twilight!"

Pinkie Pie started to hum tunelessly and moved over to Rarity's fridge, opening it to start nosing around. Twilight rolled her eyes and stood as instructed, futilely trying to lower her wings. "Uhg, I'm not a Princess, Rarity. Or an alicorn. This is just that wing spell I cast on you when we went to Cloudsdale for the Young Flyers Competition. I must have miscast it in my sleep."

"Was that the source of all the explosions earlier? Darling, you _know_ how I detest explosions in the morning. It ruins my beauty sleep." Rarity's magic tugged at Twilight's legs, adjusting her posture as the levitated tape measures began to wrap about her like possessed snakes. "My wings were those of a beautiful butterfly, Twilight. If you had cast the same spell, even in your sleep, wouldn't you have the same and not these lovely feathers that match your coat perfectly? And what about your mane? Mine never did that."

"I'm not an alicorn Princess!"

Pinkie poked her head out from behind the open fridge door, a cold carrot clutched in her teeth. "She doth protest too much, methinks."

Rarity nodded absently. "Oh I agree, darling. Oh, to be elevated to royalty! What a dream that would be!" She sighed, holding a hoof to her forehead in faux swoon. "Why, it should only happen to the most deserving ponies—which you are—certainly, Twilight. Even if you have never really cared for the nobles, or taken societal norms to heart, or ever wanted to be any more than a student to the Princesses, or well…"

She paused, eyes narrowing as she jots down the numbers the tapes have taken on her small pad. "It's not like there is any pony more deserving or right to be elevated… have you gained weight recently?"

"Don't make me cast Ghost Knife Eye Attack. I will, and they will never find the bodies."

Rarity ignored Twilight and turned around to set the tapes on her kitchen table. On her notepad, Rarity started sketching idly. "Tsk. Don't be angry, Twilight. All the other alicorns are quite tall; it makes sense that they would be heavier. I'm sure it's just the wings."

"Are we done here? I have a train ticket to buy." Twilight grumbled.

"Yes yes, darling. I have everything I need to craft you an exquisite coronation ensemble."

Twilight glowered at her friends for a second more before spinning around and galloping out the kitchen door. She didn't even kick it closed. Rarity sighed heavily and reached out with her magic to pull the door shut and looked at Pinkie, who was still sitting by the fridge, happily munching on a carrot. "Taking a _train_ to Canterlot, really? If I were to suddenly become an alicorn, I'd at least fly majestically there! I swear sometimes that that girl has no romance in her soul."

Pinkie Pie shrugged.

"No matter. I will craft a wonderful dress! It will be bright and colorful; I'll use the finest Arabian cottons, there will be silk and chiffon and sequins! And Celestia as my witness, it will make her ass look huge!"

Pinkie swallowed down the last of the carrot and giggled. "Wow Rarity, sometimes you can be really vindictive!"

"Yes, I suppose I can be." Rarity lifted her nose into a haughty expression before raising a manicured eyebrow and looking Pinkie over, as if just realizing the pink mare was still in her shop. A sly smirk formed on her lips. "However, I am the Element of Generosity, am I not? Why don't I go get some bits from the register, and you can take them to buy a train ticket to Canterlot yourself, Pinkie? Wouldn't want to lose out on another alicorn, right?"

Pinkie squealed with happiness so loud that the dogs in the neighborhood started to bark outside. "Oh Rarity, you are best, generousest, awesomest friend ever! This is better than the time you actually put on the fake wings for me!"

Rarity grumbled under her breath about something Pinkie wasn't to ever mention again and walked into the boutique's front area. She returned a moment later with a small bag of bits. "Go get 'em , tiger! Hopefully, you'll finally get this silly fetish itch of yours scratched and you can stop throwing those special 'Alicorn Parties'."

"But you said you liked them…"


	3. Chapter 3

**Alicorn Switcheroo 3**

Twilight Sparkle eyed the clock on the front wall of the passenger car she rode in. Then she glanced out the window to the east, judging the Sun's position. It looked like it hadn't changed since she reached the station, and that only served to make her frown harder. If the clock on the wall was correct, then the train was running seven minutes late. Accounting for a few passengers that had boarded and what she had overheard from the conductor after getting her ticket punched, they were expecting to make up four of those lost minutes. Given the overall one way trip time, that would place her in Canterlot by 8:02 and give her precisely fifty eight minutes to get to the castle, meet with the Princess and get things resolved before court officially started.

"Hey, are you a princ—"

"No." Twilight's magenta eyes snapped to a pair of green eyes staring back at her from over the back rest of the seat in front of her. They belonged to orange colored colt no older than the CMCs.

"Are you sur—"

"For the _fourteenth_ time; yes, I'm sure!"

The conductor pony eyed the ticket he held in his hoof, and then looked back at its owner. He chewed on his mustache idly; his wife would give him hell for that later. After a moment he shrugged and punched a hole in the ticket. "You know, Miss, you have a ticket. For a seat in the third car, with an included complimentary coffee, even. There is no need to stowaway in a crate, in the caboose… while dressed like a hobo-pony."

Pinkie blinked up at the conductor through her disguise eyeglasses and twirled the end of her disguise handlebar mustache. "It's for romance," she stated as a matter of fact.

"But…"

"Oh! Don't worry, I got my coffee!" Pinkie held up a small paper cup that steam wafted from weakly.

The conductor opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it and chewed more on his increasingly ragged facial hair. He sighed. It wasn't like she was breaking any rules, _per se_, and there wasn't anything that was supposed to be transported in the crate this particular trip. With a shake of his head, the conductor lowered the crate's lid. From inside he could hear the pink pony snort.

"Alicorns huh, amirite?"

Twilight wasn't sure if not being bothered by other ponies so much about her appearance was a good thing or not. It certainly helped that she wasn't being detained or distracted as she made her way up the winding streets of the capitol to the castle. Conversely, her relative peace was due to the Sun not moving in the sky since dawn. She suspected that back in Ponyville, everypony would be just hitting their stride in a frothing riot led by the screaming Flower Trio. At least in the capitol, the ponies had the good since to make sure everyone was awake and aware of the situation before a very polite (if a little snobbish) looting ensued.

As Twilight made her way up the final hill, the front gates to the castle proper stood open and welcoming as ever, though rather more mob-choked than usual. She eyed the crowd for a moment. The ill-content rabble of ponies both noble and common eyed her back. Surprisingly few of them started chanting, and only a hoof full or so bowed to her. Most ponies just started whispering her name and the word 'alicorn' until the two started to merge into a sort of hodgepodge portmanteau. Those ponies then quickly broke into two competing groups based on how they thought the resulting monstrosity was pronounced.

"Twil-acorn!"

"Twily- corn!"

Twilight rolled her eyes and turned away from the main gates. Her many years spent at the castle studying and certainly not those times she had snuck out late for doughnuts cravings or going to certain underground poetry houses of ill-repute, led her around the side of the east wall where she ducked under a low slung canopy of ivy to a small, simple door that had only two guards posted at it. The guards, both pegasi she knew from her time spent at the castle, flared their wings, barring the door from entrance.

Twilight stopped a few feet away from the guardsponies and spoke the official pass phrase known to her and a few other ponies close to the royal sisters. "I-don't-care-what-the-scales-say-I-haven't-gained -weight-stop-writing-down-everything-I-say-for-the -official-pass-phrase."

The older guard, whom she had seen around the castle since she had been a wee filly, lowered his wings first and gave a swift bow. "Hello, Miss Sparkle. We're glad you're here. I'm certain you can see we've got something of a situation on our hooves." He removed his helmet and shook out a close cropped, grey mane as he looked up at her. "If you'll follow us, we'll escort you to the Princes—er, Princess Celestia's—chambers. I'll fill you in on what we know so far as we go."

Twilight nodded. "Thank you, Mister Leadfeather. What is going on? I thought my mis-casting a spell in my sleep was the worst that could happen today!"

"'Fraid not, Miss. Her Majesty's gone and locked herself up in her bedroom and refuses to come out! She's canceled court for today." Sun Ray, the younger guard spoke up, ruffling his wings as he lowered them. He frowned slightly and looked up at Twilight's glittery, shifting mane. "You get a haircut, Miss? Looks nice."

Twilight groaned and shook her head for a moment. "No, I just mis-cast a spell in my sleep. How many times am I going to have to explain this? It just changes my appearance, that's all."

"Makes you taller too, huh?"

"Huh?" Twilight looked down her snout at Sun Ray. "No, it didn't make me—" Twilight stopped as she realized that she was looking down at a full grown stallion. "By Luna's sparkly goatee! It's getting worse! Quick! I need to get to the Princess so she can help me stop this!"

Leadfeather snorted and opened the door behind them before dropping his helmet back on. "Good luck with that, Miss Sparkle. As Ray said, she's hold up in her chambers. Wouldn't even let Princess Luna in earlier."

Twilight followed the guards into a narrow hall filled with even more guards that were rapidly getting into armor. The hall they were in ran along the outer walls and was joined by many others like it that were used by castle staff to get around unseen and certainly not by young fillies that just needed a break from all the studying and wanted to see the infamous Canterlot night life or purchase some pastries with a very convincing fake I.D.

"I think I know how I can get the Princess to let me in." Twilight allowed herself a small grin. "Take me to the kitchens first. I need to put in a special order."

Meanwhile, outside, Pinkie Pie dropped gracefully out of the ivy overhang, landing on all fours and going into a crouch. She scanned the area quickly and yanked off her mustache disguise—

"Aaahh! Friggin' hay, that stings!"

-before moving to the door and pressing her ear to it. She couldn't make out any of the words, but she could hear Twilight's voice getting distant. Pinkie pressed her ear to the door harder, straining to hear where her quarry was headed. She squinted with her left eye. Then she tried squinting with her right eye.

"Solid reinforced oak doors are hard to hear through." Pinkie frowned and eyed the door for a moment before she turned around and sat down. She rubbed her chin with one hoof. "I need a plan for sneaking into the castle. There are guards everywhere, so it'll need to be my most sneakiest, craziest, planned-ist plan ever!"

"Excuse me, Miss Pie? Are you here to help with the situation too?"

Pinkies eyes went wide, her pupils contracting to pinpoints as she glanced nervously over her shoulder. Two new guards were exiting the door and looking at her. One of them still had his hoof on the door handle. Pinkie stared at them for a moment.

"Er… yes?" She blinked and then spun about on her backside until she was facing them. "But I'm here incognito! You two didn't see me—except that you did see me—so please don't tell anypony that I'm here!"

The guards looked at each other for a moment until one of them shrugged. "Ok… I guess. Do you need to go inside?"

Pinkie smiled and grinned happily. "Yep!"

Pinkie hopped up and bounced into the door past the two confused looking guard ponies. They exchanged a glance before Pinkie stuck her head back out, now wearing a pair of golden colored night vision goggles.

"Hey! I'm on a stealth mission and I need to get into my skintight catsuit! But I always have a dickens of a time getting it zipped up in the back! Can one of you guys lend a hoof?"

The royal kitchens were a bustle of activity when Twilight arrived with her escort. Breakfast for the castle and meals for the visiting nobles were being prepared whether the sun got its lazy plot up fully over the horizon or not. The staff ponies were well used to being around alicorns regularly and thus were much less given to groveling and chanting for the most part. Twilight was glad she only had to explain her new appearance three times before getting the cooks to whip up what she needed.

After a little bickering over the color of frosting to use(they decided on color scheme of purples and pinks that matched Twilight's coat and mane), a doughnut topped monstrosity of a cake floated safely down the hallway in front of Twilight as they walked towards the tower that contained the Princess' personal chambers. As they passed the windows that lead to the skybridge that connected the tower to the castle proper, Twilight examined her reflection out of the corner of her eye.

She was much larger now than she had been in Ponyville just an hour ago. Though she was nowhere near the size of Celestia, her form had become lithe and trim, similar to the way Princess Luna looked. As best as Twilight could gauge, she was about Princess Luna's height as well. Her horn seemed slightly longer, and of course, her mane and tail had become fluctuating fields of energy that glowed with an inner light and occasionally spawned pinkish colored arc lightning along its length. It was little wonder why so many ponies continued to assume that she had become a new alicorn princess.

Twilight lowered her head and whispered to herself. "It was just some stupid mis-cast in my sleep, right? Please, _please_ let that be all it is. This day is already weird enough, and now the Princess is acting strange too. Is it too much to ask that we get to the bottom of this quick and have it all turn out to be harmless just this once?"

The small procession reached the end of the skybridge and Twilight gulped down the lump in her throat for what seemed the hundredth time as she looked at the gilded set of doors that led to Princess Celestia's personal chambers. Even though she'd visited the Princess in her room dozens of times in the past, it was always with the Princess leading her, each time she'd been invited. This time, however, she wasn't invited and she felt she was going to need every ounce of the bribe she'd had the kitchens prepare.

She sighed as the guards took up positions at a respectable distance from the entry way. She reached out with a hoof and knocked gently. There was a slight echo from inside but it was the only sound. Twilight waited for about a minute before knocking again with a bit more force. Silence was still the only response. Actually, it wasn't silent, exactly. Twilight could hear the guards breathing and the grating of her own teeth as the seconds ticked away without any answer from the Princess. Now that she thought about it, Twilight realized she could hear the ticking of the large grandfather clock inside Celesia's bedroom. That same clock marked time during her personal lessons with the Princess as a filly, counting down the seconds until she had to leave and go back to being a normal unicorn and not Celestia's favored pupil. She'd always hated that clock.

Twilight's brows began to knit as she stared at the unopened doors. As that infernal clock kept reminding her, time was slipping away and she was no closer to fixing her problem, nor figuring out what was going on with the Princess herself. "Ok, no more 'miss-waits-patiently'."

Twilight snorted as her horn started to glow brighter and she directed power into a spell that would force the doors open. Her glittering mane flashed pink colored arc lightning as it suddenly came alive like some sort of head-based thuamagical octopod. She wanted to apply pressure to the lock mechanism and pull the doors open, but her head squid hair tentacles had its own ideas and decided to just yank the doors off their hinges and fling them back down the skybridge. With the task complete, Twilight's sealife-esque coif burst into a fading cloud of vapors before returning to its normally scheduled scoffing at physics.

As the guardsponies scrambled about in the confusion, Twilight took the opportunity to wipe the stunned grimace off her face and replace it with something passing for cool and collected. The unrestrained imaginative part of her brain giggled more than a little manically at the sheer amount of power such a spell would require. The rest of Twilight's brain was looking for a brown bag to hyperventilate into. Somehow, her mouth managed to craft an intelligible set of sentences. "Somepony get those doors back up! I'm going in and I don't want anypony interrupting me and the Princess until I have this all sorted out!"

Twilight walked forward, her bribe floating alongside her as she entered the royal bedchambers. Specifically, she entered the antechamber before the actual bedroom. There was another door still between her and her mentor, but it didn't have a lock. She wanted to stop and check her appearance in the full body mirror on the wall, but she knew if she paused, all the false confidence she was running on would collapse and leave her blubbering on the floor. Even as she reached the second doorway, the efficient guards in the hallway were already muscling and magiking the first door back into place.

The inner door opened without protest or tentacle-assisted action. The bedroom was just as Twilight remembered it: immaculate and simple with only a few signs that a pony actually slept there. The curtains were closed but Philomena's ever present flame plumage provided plenty of light from her enclosure by the far wall to navigate the furniture. The bed was empty, the desk unpiloted and the couch unoccupied. Twilight nodded to the phoenix and set her gift on the desk.

"Princess? I'm sorry about the doors but I really need to see you about… whatever is going on." Twilight pawed nervously at the plush carpeting with one hoof. "I miscast a spell in my sleep—I think—and I sorta look like an alicorn now. Not that that's a bad thing, of course! I'd just like to get that fixed. Oh, and the sun isn't moving, which is causing a panic—not that it takes a lot to panic ponies around here. I'd sorta like to get that fixed too."

She started to chew on one lip, thinking of where she could look for her missing monarch next. "It's weird being in here without you."

It seemed like a fairly tall order to hide a pure white pony with a flowing, glowing rainbow mane that stood at least three times the height of a grown stallion. Twilight's inner foal snickered at the 'tall order' phrasing of the thought. She was about to choke that little part of herself when Twilight heard a small noise that sounded like a muffled voice. Her ears perked up as she turned and looked at the armoire in the corner. She heard it again. Twilight raised an eyebrow as the quiet noise took on a melodic cant. She was fairly certain that this armoire held a few dresses and office bric-a-brac and had nowhere near enough extra-dimensional space to hide a pony as massive as the Princess.

(Two Hours Ago)

As mornings went, in the vast accumulated experience of mornings that Celestia had acquired, this particular morning started out as pretty forgettable. Like so many other mornings, she awoke in her chambers just as the first photons were beginning to bombard the upper atmosphere directly above the castle. Once more she had successfully raised the sun in her sleep.

As she lay there with the sheets still pulled over her head, an errant memory surfaced and brought a small smile to her face. Some six hundred odd years ago, one of her castle stewards witnessed the sunrise while the Princess was still asleep. He went running through the corridors claiming her reign to be nothing more than a sham, all based on an elaborate lie about her ability to control the sun. Celestia could still see his face after all the intervening years, but for the life of her, could not recall whatever became of him.

Celestia yawned and stretched leisurely, arching her back so she could spread her-!

"Where are my wings?!" Celestia sat up and yanked the sheet off as she looked at her now barren shoulders. No faintly pink iridescent feathers ruffled at her withers, no toned flight muscles flexed under her coat.

She stared, open mouthed at the smooth expanse of her back for only a moment before noticing that her mane was no longer a shimmering mass of light waves broken into its component colors. Celestia raised a hoof and pulled the now solely pink strands of hair closer to examine. She started to make a small choking sound in her throat. She hadn't had actual physics obeying hair for thousands of years.

Celestia's heart hammered in her chest as she twisted to get a look at her cutie mark. Her flank was still emblazoned with the familiar mark of the sun. She swallowed a lump in her throat as she scrutinized it. Was it slightly off color? Did it always have that many flanges? Was it smaller than before?

"W-what is going on h-here?" Celestia dropped her hoof back down and looked around her room. Everything looked huge and out of proportion. Philomena eyed Celestia curiously from her perch as the Princess slipped cautiously out of her suddenly too tall bed.

Celestia automatically reached for her tiara, where it rested on a bust by her bedside. Her horn glowed weakly and the tiara moved a fraction of an inch. It felt as if she was attempting to lift the entire castle off the mountain. Her wings, her mane and now even her most basic magic had all vanished in the night, stolen in her sleep. She was a goddess no more, reduced to the level of a mortal pony and not even a very impressive mortal pony at that.

"Great Faust!" Celestia sank into a seated position, her tail wrapping around her legs like a pink security blanket as she started to hyperventilate.

Twilight eyed the oaken furniture skeptically as she walked over to it. Once she reached the door she could even make out the words being sung with a flat melancholy tune.

_"'Neath the black _

_ The sky looks dead. _

_ Call my name _

_ Through the cream, _

_ And I'll hear you _

_ Scream again."_

Twilight rolled her eyes and silently mouthed 'seriously?' at Philomena. The bird shrugged. She was sure it was the Princess' voice she heard coming from inside. Something was terribly wrong, and by the name of the self-same pony that was being really emo in an armoire right now, Twilight promised herself that she was going to get to the bottom of it.

_"Black hole sun, _

_ Won't you come _

_ And wash away the rain?" _

(About Forty Five Minutes Earlier)

Celestia learned a great deal many things that morning.

Chiefly among these things was an as of yet unknown ability to generate a panicked squeal of such a high pitch that presumably, only Diamond Dogs could hear it.

Draconequus too, apparently.

Discord appeared in the middle of the room wearing oversized earmuffs. He smiled lopsidedly at Celestia, and offered her an empty brown bag to breathe into.

"Please stop making that noise Celestia, it's rather unbecoming of somepony of your station." Discord lifted his legs and took a seat on nothing. "Taking a shot at a second chance, hmm? I applaud your bravery! It takes a lot of guts to give up what you've enjoyed for so long just to get something you want."

Celestia choked back a sob; her lips trembled as she tried to form words. Discord snaked through the air until his face was inches from hers. "I'm almost jealous that you'd do something so unexpected and out of character for someone other than _me_." Discord's voice dropped into a whisper. "Almost."

Discord reached over and patted Celestia gently on head with his lion's paw. "I sincerely hope this turns out to be as entertaining as it promises to be!" He tousled her mane affectionately before he floated quickly back to the center of the room.

"Oh, and by the way Celly, I really like your mane! Everypony at court is gonna love it—assuming there is enough light to see by!" Discord barked laughter and bent his long body into heart shaped silhouette before exploding into a cloud of rainbow colored glitter. Celestia stared slack jawed at the spot in the air where the Spirit of Chaos had been.

She startled when a loud knock came from the door to her bed chambers. "**SISTER! WE DEMAND TO KNOW WHY YOUR SUN LINGERS OVER LONG UPON THE HORIZON!**"

"What."

Twilight swallowed and reached up to the pearl knobs of the armoire door and tugged it open before its occupant finished the refrain. Inside the armoire, as she had thought, Twilight found perhaps a half-dozen stately gowns and drapes of equally ridiculous proportions and historic political importance. Each garment had its own name and was associated with a significant event in Equestrian history. Each piece of cloth belonged in a museum behind glass in magically sealed cases, but Celestia kept them in her closet where they smelled faintly of mothballs. Sandwiched between the outfits and the rack of drawers that held the Princess' historically significant paperweights (and less significant collection of dried out ink pens), was a pale ivory pink unicorn mare with a long, unkempt, bright pink mane and a very familiar looking face.

(Thirty Minutes (Give or Take) Previously)

"**WE REQUEST ONCE AGAIN THAT YOU OPEN THIS DOOR AND SPEAK WITH US FACE TO FACE, TIA!**" Luna's Royal Canterlot Voice made the door rattle even though Celestia had locked it and currently had her back pressed to it as she held it shut.

"I told you, Lulu, we do not use the RCV inside. Or even outside anymore! I will speak with you, but I shall not open the door. I am… not dressed…" Celestia hung her head and looked down at her hooves. Outside, she heard Luna 'hrumph'. She could almost feel the eyeroll that most certainly went with it.

When Luna spoke again, she did so at a normal volume. "We are concerned, dear sister. We can feel your sun slowing to a stop and it is barely risen! Already Our little ponies begin to fret."

"I understand, Luna. However, there is no need for concern. Everything is under control!" Celestia closed her eyes, her mind focused on keeping her voice calm and reassuring. She disliked being untruthful with Luna, but her sister would probably freak out if she knew the truth. "Why don't you take over Court duties today, Luna? I have… important paperwork to attend."

Luna was silent for so long that Celestia started to wonder if her sister had left.

"Ha! No thank you Tia, We have other matters to attend Ourselves rather than to listen to the pandering of those that think themselves nobility! If you do not wish to see to your duties, then We shall send word that Court is cancelled! Whatever joke you are pursuing, you will not catch Us in it so easily." Celestia heard Luna turn away and her hoofsteps as she retreated across the skybridge.

Once Princess Luna was gone, Celestia slumped to the floor, letting her breath in a whoosh. She laid there for a moment before she worked her way on to her belly and glumly looked into the mirror on the wall. Her dinky reflection frowned back at her. It was better, in her mind's eye, that the ponies of Equestria saw her as childishly besmirching her duties as Princess, rather than actually see her and lose faith in their almighty alicorn leader. Nopony could be allowed to see her until she figured out what was going on. There would be a panic. There might be a loot-crazed mob before lunch. There certainly _would_ be a loot-crazed mob after lunch if she didn't figure out how to get the sun moving again.

Celestia climbed to her hooves and plodded slowly back into her main bedroom. She tried again to move her sun. She couldn't feel it, and it refused all her commands. It sat there, paused just above the horizon, now completely out of momentum. She tried to find a way to nudge it along but it still didn't respond no matter how she strained and pushed. Celestia gasped as her magic strength quickly left her weak in the knees and her coat slick with sweat. Was this really how her little ponies felt every day?

"This sucks."

Thousands of questions raced through Twilight's mind as she looked down at her teacher. Each one begged for an answer, so she selected the one that seemed most appropriate to start with. "BWUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!?"

Celestia blinked wet magenta colored eyes and stared up at Twilight. "GAAAAAHH!"

(Like Two Minutes and Change Before Twilight Got There)

Celestia rocked back and forth on the floor in front of the mirror in her antechamber, her legs wrapped around herself. She still couldn't figure out what entity and by what means her powers had been stripped from her. While it seemed like something Discord might do, he didn't gloat when he had visited her, only teased her a little. Luna liked her games, but they always made sense. It wasn't Chrysalis' style either. Sombra? _That_ would be a cold day in Tartarus. If not one of them, then who and why?

Celestia shook her head as she tried to think of a solution. She could hear a murmur going through the guards outside and angled one ear towards the door. It sounded like somepony else was on their way to check on her. That was quick. She wasn't even late for Court yet, technically. "At least I haven't lost my hearing along with everything else! This is unbearable…"

She groaned and started to climb to her hooves when Celestia heard one of the guards mention Twilight. She froze. Twilight Sparkle could absolutely not see her like this. Twilight was brave and smart, skilled and passionate about solving puzzles. Anypony could see she would be the perfect pony to research this mystery, plus she had a close personal history with Celestia. However, knowing the pony better than anyone else, Celestia knew Twilight was the worst pony for this job. The unicorn was obsessive and easily shaken by surprises when she expected none. She had stared dragons and gods down without batting an eye but remove the goddess she worshipped and idolized and her world would crumble. Twilight might never recover.

Celestia galloped back into her main bedroom with new found energy and looked around. She couldn't fly, so escape out the window was impossible. Her magic was laughably weak, so teleportation was equally out of the question and she wouldn't be able to maintain any invisibility spells. Celestia danced in place nervously as she thought. Her only remaining option was to hide and hope Twilight went to search for her elsewhere.

Her new smaller frame was useful for once, but her hiding spots were limited. The bed was too low, the desk was too high and the couch was just not made for hiding ponies. That left only Philomena's enclosure and her armoire with her musty old dresses. Celestia shot Philomena a questioning glance and the phoenix shook her head before motioning with her beak at her fiery feathers. Celestia wondered if she was still fireproof for a moment and then dived for the armoire.

"Philomena, don't tell Twilight where I am!" Celestia pulled the armoire open and stepped in. She closed the door behind her as quietly as she could and took a seat behind her Royal Gown for Christening Royal Aeronaval Ships, Government Buildings and Public Latrines.

The former alicorn rested her head against the polished oak and started counting silently, waiting for her student to start knocking. Celestia wanted Twilight to leave as quickly as she arrived. She managed to count to nineteen. Twilight knocked several times and called for her. Twilight sounded distressed. Celestia clenched her teeth to keep herself from replying. She knew this must be driving her poor student crazy with worry. Twilight all but worshipped the ground Celestia walked on.

A small part of Celestia cheered when she heard the doors to her suite get forcibly opened. Nothing as trivial as a door would stop her Twilight! Of course it meant her poorly thought out plan of hiding in her armoire would eventually fail. Perhaps if she approached Twilight carefully, with a solid strategy, she might avoid breaking the mare's worldview too much. Celestia allowed herself a small smile as she heard Twilight apologizing to the room about the door. She knew if she could make her predicament seem like a puzzle and down play her transformation then she just might distract Twilight's mind and get this fixed. She would even get to enjoy a day with her favorite pupil.

Celestia blinked and whispered to herself. "Wait, is that cake I smell?"

Pinkie Pie grumbled to herself as she adjusted the zoom on her spy goggles. Twilight had just entered Princess Celestia's room a moment ago and the guards were already replacing the door. There wasn't any way she could get across the skybridge hallway without being seen. What sort of silly billy pony built a castle without air ducts big enough for a grown mare to sneak through?

Pinkie raised her goggles and rubbed her eyes with one hoof. The goggles looked cool, but they really were better suited to night jobs. She looked around quickly and ducked behind a crenellation to make sure no pony saw her on the castle's wall-walk overlooking the courtyard. Well, at least no pony other than the guard on duty that was using the wall-walk. He wouldn't be off shift until midday so Pinkie knew he wouldn't blab her position. For now.

"Well, sassafras!" Pinkie rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "How am I supposed to get in there? I can't get down the hallway, or climb up the side of the tower without being seen!"

"Why don't you use some of those ninja smoke bombs?"

Pinkie rolled her eyes and frowned through her catsuit mask. "I already toldja I'm a spy pony, not a ninja pony, duh! Besides, I left those back at Sugarcube Corner."

"I's just trying to help Miss Pinkie."

"I know, Teacup." Pinkie sighed and looked over at the unicorn guard. "Frankly, I feel all dumbie-wumbie for not bringing them."

Teacup adjusted his helmet and shrugged awkwardly. Pinkie gave him a smile because he was just trying to help and he had been awful nice already just letting her come up here and because she just liked smiling anyways. Teacup gave her a lopsided grin and tilted his head and when he did, Pinkie caught a glimpse of another tower across the courtyard.

"Of course! Teacup, that's a great idea!" Pinkie bounced to her hooves and kept on bouncing. "I'll just climb that tower over there, where no pony is looking and then hang glide over to Princess Celestia's tower and land on the balcony! That's genius!"

"What?"

Pinkie started bounding along the wall-walk away from Celestia's tower. She stopped for a moment to wave goodbye to Teacup, who returned the wave with a confused look on his face. "But that's Princess Luna's tower."

Pinkie Pie must have not heard him though, because she started hopping and bouncing faster, giggling as she went.


End file.
